Water-wheel.



L. S. FLATAU.

WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED D3014, 1910.

Patented May 19, 1914.

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L. S. FLATAU.

WATER WHEEL.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG.14, 1910.

'1,097,411. Patented May 19, 1914.

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Quiz "Ma COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COWWASHINUITON, D. c.

L. S. FLATAU.

WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED DBG.14, 1910.

1,097, 11 1 Patented May 19, 1914.

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L. S. FLATAU.

. WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14, 1910.

1,097, 11 1 Patented May 19, 1914.

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LOUIS S. FLATAU, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD 'IODUDLEY C. WEAY AND ONE-THIRD TO T. .ALLIE \VBAY, BOTH OF ST. LOUIS,MISSOURI.

"WATER-WHEEL.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 191 1:.

Application filed December 14., 1910. Serial No. 597,308.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS S. FLA'raU, acitizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri,have invented throu h the current until 'ravit Y and the c a:

current, or the current alone if the entire wheel is submerged, causethem to fall at the proper place and time as in other undershot wheelsto receive the impact of the current, thus driving the wheel around onits axle and support, and from which the power created may betransmitted to a power house on the piers of stone or structuraliron-work, seated on piling or otherwise, so as to drive dynamos forgenerating electric current or for other purposes.

My invention further consists in certain novel features of constructionand combina tions of parts which will be hereinafter described and fullypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in perspective, showingmy improved invention mounted on piers or abutments ready for use, Fig.2 is a view in front elevation of the apparatus, Fig. 3 is a view in endelevation, and Figs. 4:, 5, and (3 are fragmentary views in detailshowing different positions taken by the buckets or shutters. Fig. 7 isa detail sectional view showing the manner of fastening the spokes tothe hubs, and how the hub is connected to the axle. Fig. 8 is asectional view of the shutter and pin, showing the inner and outerstraps in elevation and the manner of mounting the straps upon the pin.

The piers or abutment-s 1, 1, may be constructed of masonry orstructural iron or steel, and erected upon piles or concrete or otherfoundation at any convenient point in the stream whose current is to beutilized,

and any superstructure 2 is built across the top, and is adapted tohouse the transmission dynamos or other machinery. A central axle 3 ismounted in hearings in the piers or abutments, and on this the wheel issocurely mounted. Any number of hubs i, 4-, may be employed (in thewheel illustrated, four only are shown). These are keyed to the shaft 3.Spokes 5, 5, are bolt-ed or otherwise secured to the flanges 6, 6, ofthese hubs, the outer ones to the inner side only of the flanges of thetwo outer hubs, and the inner spokes oppositely from both sides of thehubs, the bolts 7, 7, which socure them being in the latter instancecommon to two spokes, as the drawings indicate. The spokes may thus besaid to be arranged in pairs converging to points at or near theircenters, very much after the manner of a bicycle spoke, thus trussingthe wheel structure and giving it great rigidity and strength towithstand the wear and tear to which machinery of this character wouldnecessarily be subjected. At this point, approximately midway of thelength of the spokes, they come together and extend parallel throughoutthe remainder of their length, embracing the rims 9, 9, and 10, 10,embracing the latter from opposite sides. Rods 11, 11, and 12, 12,extend across from side to side through the opposite ends of theparallel portions of the spokes, thus forming one securely braced andtrussed wheel of great strength and rigidity, or what appears in theillustrated form of the invention to be practically three distinctwheels. The buckets or shutters 13, 13, are hinged to the inner surfacesof the outer ends of these spokes as illustrated, their size anddimension corresponding more or less perfectly to the like spacesencompassed by the outer ends of the spokes and the connecting rods 11and 19.. The intermediate spokes serve as stops for the buckets orshutters. While these buckets or shutters may be connected or hinged tothe spokes in any approved manner, my preference is a con- The loops 21,21, of the outer straps 15, 15, of the hinges are larger than the loops22, 22, of the inner straps 1%, 14, of the hinges, the purpose of whichis to permit the buckets or shutters to drop a trifle 011 the innerhinge as a center or pivot, so that they drop and close with less forceand noise than they would if both hinges were alike, which mechanicalprinciple is well understood.

Adjustable stops 23, 23, in the illustrated construction in the form ofbolts, are arranged in the outer rim about midway of the spokes toreceive the buckets or shutters when opened, and feathering, and toprevent their swinging outwardly beyond the dead center, the purpose ofwhich is to always in sure their dropping and closing at the proper timeby gravity, as the wheel revolves in readiness to take the impact of theflowing current of water (as shown in Fig. 5) which action takes placewith compara tive precision when unimpeded by the submergence of thewheel.

The loop 21 of the outer strap 15 is larger than the loop 22 of thestrap 14, and is capable of movement longitudinally and laterally, sothat when the shutter is swung to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6and the outer inner edge of the shutter is resting against a stop 23 onthe outer rim 10, the shutter will assume or lie in an inclined positionas shown in Fig. 4, and the outer edge of the shutter will lie fartheraway from the rim than the lower edge. That is the outer edge of theshutter to which the strap 15 is connected will be permitted by theenlarged loop 21 to lie farther away from the rim 10 than the edge ofthe shutter to which the strap It is connected so that an obliquesurface is presented, and when the shutter comes into a position in themovement of the wheel to allow the water to come in contact with it, thewater will force the shutter over until it is in a position where itwill fall by gravity and the pressure of the current, into closedposit-ion. This wheel, however, is just as eficient when entirelysubmerged as when only the lower half is submerged. lVhen, however, theentire wheel is submerged, the very features which have been explained,namely the dif ferential between the outer and inner hinges whichpermits the buckets to tilt and travel from the horizontal, and the sizeand loca tion of the adjustable stops, cause the buckets or shutters topresent an outer surface which inclines from the stop toward the outersides of the wheel toward their inner ends (as is clearly shown in Fig.6), so that when the closure of the buckets or shutters is dependentupon the current of water, that is to say, when the entire wheel issubmerged and they do not close by gravity, the pressure on the surfaceof the buckets or shutters outside is necessarily in excess of thepressure from the opposite or inner surface, thus causing closure of thebuckets or shutters by the action of the on-rushing current of water. Inthis way, as previously suggested, the wheel is equally eiiicientwhether entirely or only partially submerged.

As a means for pumping water for irrigation or other purposes, a chainof buckets 25, is provided, they passing a spout 26, which leads to thewater-main or other means of conveying or taking care of the water thuselevated.

The power developed by the wheel may be transmitted in any approvedmanner from the central axle, as by sprocket chains or other form ofgearing, either to a countershaft, as shown at 27, and thence to thedynamo or dynamos as illustrated by the belts 2s, as.

To briefly review the operation, the wheel is driven by the impact ofthe current upon the closed buckets or shutters, thus closing bygravity, when not otherwise prevented at the upper portion of the wheel,after they have passed over the axle, and by the currents of water ifthe wheel is submerged, when the latter strikes the buckets or shutters,and after having done their work as the buckets or shutters open andfeather through the water as they lift out of the stream.

The wheel as described, while capable of modification, is on approvedscientific and mechanical lines of structure, afiording lightness and atthe same time strong and durable. All parts adapted for certainpurposes, such for instance as the outer rims, the spokes, hubs, bucketsor shutters are interchangeable, and as these various parts are boltedtogether, the entire wheel may be dismembered and dismounted for thepurpose of transportation, and easily, quickly, and conveniently erectedwherever it is to be used. In short, a thoroughly braced and trussedskeleton wheel is provided, offering a minimum of resistance, andaffording a maximum of power in the stream where it is mounted; and inthis way, the power derived may be utilized at a minimum of expense fordriving machinery, or the generation of electric current in dynamos, orfor any purposes where power is required, and comparative economy is a.desideratum.

It is evident that more or less slight changes might be resorted to inthe form and arrangement of the several parts described, withoutdeparture from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do notwish to be limited to the exact construction herein set forth, but

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A water wheel mounted on an axle, comprising a trussed skeleton framemade up of spokes, rims, and cross-heads, buckets or shutters hinged inthe frame and hinges connecting the buckets to the frame, a hinge oneach bucket having loose connection with the frame which causes theother hinge to act as a pivot to insure the buckets dropping inwardlywith less force toward the center either by gravity or the pressure ofthe current from the outside.

2. A water wheel mounted on an axle, comprising a trussed skeleton framemade up of spokes, rims, and cross-heads, buckets or shutters hinged inthe frame and hinges connecting the buckets to the frame, a hinge 011each bucket having loose connection with the frame which causes theother hinge to act as a pivot to insure the buckets dropping inwardlywith less force toward the center either by gravity or the pressure ofthe current from the outside, and adjustable stops for determining theoutward feathering movement of said buckets.

3. A water wheel mounted on an axle, comprising a trussed skeleton framemade up of spokes, rims, and cross-heads, buckets or shutters hinged inthe frame permitting their dropping inwardly toward the center either byg 'avity or the pressure of the current from the outside, the outerhinges of the buckets or shutters loosely connected to the frameallowing greater play and freedom of tilting movement than the innerhinges, and stops for determining the outward feathering movement ofsaid buckets.

4. In a water wheel, the combination with an axle, and wheel framemounted on said axle, of buckets or shutters supported on said frame byouter and inner hinges, the outer hinges of the buckets or shuttersloosely connected to the frame allowing greater play and freedom oftilting movement than the inner hinges.

5. A water wheel comprising a rotatable axle having hubs thereon, aframe-compris ing sets of concentric rims and spokes arranged in pairs,the outer ends of which converge from the hubs to which they aresecured, thence to opposite sides of the rims, rods extending throughsaid spokes and rims for seeming the rims fast and holding them apart,and buckets or shutters hinged to the outer ends of said spokes inposition to have their free ends supported by the corresponding parts ofthe intermediate spokes.

6. A water wheel composed of a rotatable axle, hubs thereon, concentricrims arranged in a plane midway between the hubs, spokes secured to thehubs, whence they converge to the rims to which latter they are secured,buckets or shutters, hinges therefor, the shanks of one section of saidhinges each extending through and secured to two spokes and spacingblocks which are interposed between the spokes.

7. A water wheel composed of a rotatable axle, hubs thereon, concentricrims arranged in a plane midway between hubs, spokes secured to thehubs, whence they converge to the rims to which latter they are secured,buckets or shutters, hinges therefor, the shanks of one section of saidhinges each extending through and secured to two spoke and spacingblocks which are interposed between the spokes, and rods extendingtransversely through the several spokes and rims.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

LOUIS S. FLATAU. WVitnesses C. A. NEALE, VERNON E. Honors.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatcnts, Washington, D. G.

